Denton County, city of Denton issue stay at home orders through March 31

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Denton County Judge Andy Eads and city of Denton Mayor Chris Watts issued stay-at-home orders for the city and the county, effective at 11:59 p.m. on March 25. People will only be able to leave their homes for essential travel like grocery shopping and medical appointments.

“We are taking this step together as the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 continue to rise across Denton County,” Eads said. “Sometimes you have to decide between two bad choices and I am erring on the side of saving lives.”

Denton County currently has 36 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with nine in the city of Denton. 12 of the 36 cases are due to local transmission, according to Denton County Public Health.

“Nothing is more important than protecting the safety and well-being of our community,” said Denton Mayor Chris Watts in a press release. “During this unprecedented time, it is on all of us to do what is necessary to flatten the curve and minimize the spread of this virus.”

Dallas County issued a shelter-in-place order which went into effect on Monday and Collin County issued a shelter-in-place order on Tuesday.

Non-essential businesses have been mandated to limit their operations and how they are to conduct business for the next week. Eads said non-essential businesses should allow employees to work from home.

Eads listed activities such as planning play dates at the park for kids, hanging with friends at a basketball court, going to a friend’s house for dinner, going to an in-person study group for online classes and heading to area lakes or outdoor venues as a group are examples of what not to do during the next seven days.

Eads also said major employers such a Peterbilt, a truck manufacturing company with headquarters in the city of Denton, have closed and NASCAR also cancelled a race it planned on having at the Texas Motor Speedway.

“Community spread is here in Denton County and we know that it will continue for a while,” Eads said. “How long? We simply do not know. Only by following these common-sense measures will we reduce the potential for infection.”

The stay-at-home orders will be in place until March 31, unless extended by the Denton County Commissioners Court, according to a press release.

Featured Image: Denton County issues a stay at home order after an increase in COVID-19 cases in the area. Image by Ricardo Vazquez Garcia